FOCUS: ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY NEWS | COUNTYWIDE

2 O.C. Men Indicted in Tanker Truck Blast

A federal grand jury recently indicted two Orange County men on hazardous-materials law violations stemming from a fatal 1993 explosion in Montebello, attorneys said.

Carl Bradley Johansson, 40, of Newport Beach and George Granados, 50, of Anaheim were operators of a Montebello tanker truck firm where an explosion killed Leonardo Quintero of Cudahy. Quintero was repairing a gasoline tanker when his welding torch ignited fumes, said Assistant U.S. Atty. William Carter.

The defendants allegedly allowed Quintero to work on a tanker even though their shop, which went by Atlas Carrier Inc. and other names, lacked licenses, Carter said.

"None of Atlas' facilities are registered with U.S. Department of Transportation to repair cargo tanks," Carter said.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles last week returned a five-count indictment against the men, who are charged with both conspiring to violate and violating regulations prohibiting the repair of gasoline tankers at unlicensed facilities.

The indictment alleges that from December 1992 through the time of the explosion on Sept. 27, 1993, the defendants violated Department of Transportation's tanker repair regulations.

If convicted of all five counts, the defendants would face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and fines of up to $1.25 million, the prosecutor said.